


As The Stars Tell Their Story

by Floople_Doople



Series: Shamchat Convo One Shots [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: ...if you don't know it yet, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Probably ooc, Spoilers for Awakening and Odin's backstory, based on a shamchat rp, feels up the wazoo, god this took over a year to write ffffff, sorta got kinda deep in some parts??? somehow?????
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-18 23:37:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16129046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Floople_Doople/pseuds/Floople_Doople
Summary: When Odin had gone on a walk to clear his mind, he hadn't expected to have a conversation with the Hoshidan monk known for his closed eyes, eternal smile, and sharp tongue.He certainly hadn't expected to have such a revealing conversation.





	As The Stars Tell Their Story

**Author's Note:**

> this giant dumpster fire of a fic was inspired entirely by a shamchat i did over a y e ar ago and i've been wanting to turn it into a fic ever since aND IT'S FINALLY DONE S O-
> 
> Anyway whoever the Azama i rped with was thanks for being awesome buddy

Odin sighed as he walked through the astral realm, his mind wandering to thoughts that he rarely had the time to think. The thoughts that he rarely dared to think about, lest he find himself thinking about his home realm, dreams of distant memories bubbling up and spilling out in the form of muffled sobs and whispers in the dark of the night. However, he found himself with free time he had, for all his talk of summons he must perform and spells he must create, no true idea what to do it. It was the free time that came with sleep evading his grasp and Lord Leo having no current orders for him, choosing to go for a walk in the hopes that the thoughts of his homeland might not disturb his dreams, filling them to the brim with memories of the death of the people, the loss of those he loved, and the creatures that rose from their corpses.

His mind suddenly ground to a halt, caught off guard by the sight of the Hoshidan monk that served under Princess Hinoka. He was sitting on the grass with his face towards the sky, though with the man’s eyes eternally closed, Odin found himself unable to truly tell what the man’s intentions were. Perhaps he was staring towards the sky’s endless abyss, meditating under the gods’ watchful eyes? Or had sleep had settled upon him in a rather unlikely place? Seeing as how the monk - his name was Azama, right? - had turned to face him, it was most likely not the latter option. Odin cleared his throat; perhaps the need for a conversation could help to take his mind off of the somewhat unwanted thoughts swirling through his head.

“Ah, good day to you, priest of the gods! And what brings you to wander underneath the never-ending sky as the sun sets to make way for the moon?” he found himself asking, gesturing to how the sun had nearly disappeared over the far-off horizon. 

The monk simply laughed in response. “Ah, and I bid good day to you as well, mage of the darkness, who I ask the same question to,” he said with a smile on his face, though it appeared to be one of the monk’s more mocking smiles. “Or... do you make a habit out of brooding when the moon is full?”

Odin paid no mind to it, allowing a smile of his own to appear on his face. His arm swept out in a wide arc as he spoke. “Brooding? Nonsense! I simply wander underneath the moon’s gentle light as my mind wanders in its own land of thought! It is a habit that most folk cannot seem to grasp, unfortunately!”

Azama’s grin only grew.

“Aha, that would be called ‘brooding’,” he said rather cheerfully, a rather smug expression mixing with the grin already present on his face.

On the contrary, a frown replaced the grin that had previously been on Odin’s face. His arms lowered from their grand gesture and folded across his chest. He didn’t look upset; instead, a rather puzzled expression was present on his face.

“Wait, really?” he asked, sounding genuinely confused. Azama couldn’t stop himself from letting out a laugh.

“In a way, yes, it could be considered that. Especially with the persona you put forth,” Azama simply smiled. “It’s certainly brooding.”

“Curses! Odin Dark does not brood!” Odin exclaimed, prepared to protest that no, his thinking was not brooding. Then he thought about it for a moment. “Er, well, not usually anyways.”

“In that case, then you might want to pick a brighter time of day. Others may get the wrong idea,” Azama said, crossing his arms as an odd expression appeared on his face. If Odin were to describe it, it’d have been as if he were thinking about something for the sole purpose of making a joke.

Odin ignored it. Azama’s suggestion, even though it had been intended as a joke, was a purposeful one. Though less people would be around to ask him questions if he chose to wander under the sky when the moon’s gentle light filled it, less people would want to ask him questions if he chose to wander under the sky when it was filled with the sun’s warm rays. Quite the predicament indeed.

“I see...I thank you, priest of the gods, for your input!” he exclaimed, the grin reappearing on his face. “Odin Dark shall wander underneath the sun’s rays to ponder the wonders of the world!” 

“Then I wish you luck with that, mage of darkness,” the monk said with a smirk. “Though, I do wonder why you really decided to come out tonight. What kinds of things are you ‘pondering’ now?”

Odin internally cringed. Alas, the dreaded question. He should have seen it coming - he had been the one to initiate conversation after all - though he had no answer prepared that avoided the thoughts of his homeland that dwelled in his mind. 

“Well...um…” Odin struggled to find a reasonable answer. “I seem to have lost the words I was about to speak! But do not fear! They shall return to me eventually.” 

He had hoped that would be that, and Azama wouldn’t continue to ask. He was unfortunately wrong. 

“I can wait for them to return to you. After all, we seem to have all night.” Azama chuckled, the smug smile on his face reminding the mage of Niles just for a moment.

The first few times they had spoken, before he had been entirely accepted as Lord Leo’s new retainer, Niles had tried to delve into Odin’s backstory several times, asking questions that Odin could only dodge as best he could, weaving together half-truths and lies until he had a story to tell that would not reveal him. Even now, though both Niles and Lord Leo trusted Odin with their lives, the outlaw would ask the occasional question that Odin would scramble to either dodge entirely or cover up with another lie.

“On that topic, enlighten me, priest of the gods! What brings you out on a night such as this?” Odin asked, choosing to avoid answering with his own question. 

“Would you like the answer you’d enjoy more, or the one closer to the truth?” Azama responded, a bit of a mocking tone to his voice. 

“I would like to hear the closest to the truth, if not the truth. Come now! Why would Odin Dark prefer anything else?” Odin had to bite back the laugh rising in the back of his throat from the irony in his sentence. 

“I thought you’d say that.” Odin blinked in surprise at the surprisingly knowing tone in Azama’s voice. “In that case, the answer isn’t very exciting. Nothing has brought me out here tonight. There’s no story to this meeting, no journey, no nothing.”

Odin would have almost thought Azama sounded melancholic for a moment if not for the smile that spread across his face once more, as it had done many times thus far that night.

“Well, other than it being splendidly quiet until you arrived.”

“Simply enjoying a stroll I see! Ah, but you fail to realize that there is a story, however small it may be! You wanted a stroll - that is your story!” Odin exclaimed, disliking even the small sense of melancholy in the monk’s voice.

“Stories are told for a reason - to accomplish something,” Azama replied. “What’s the point in repeating a story with no point? It’s not worth repeating, is it?” 

Odin thought for a moment.

“Not all stories are worth repeating, they do have a purpose! Just like stories they await, waiting for the day someone is able to discern their true meaning; that would be when the story is worth retelling!”

Now it was Azama’s turn to think. Odin could only wonder what exactly the monk was thinking - the closed eyes and ever-present smile only served to mask whatever he was truly feeling. Although, Odin couldn’t help but be reminded of a certain dark mage with a love for crows and puns; he too had hidden his true feelings behind closed eyes and a smile, though whether or not it was intentional was still questionable.

At last, Azama spoke. “Ah…So, is the true reason you came out tonight one of those stories you cannot tell?”

Odin almost choked on his surprise, nevermind the quiet laughter erupting from the monk. 

“Er, I suppose you could put it that way…” Odin thought his next words out carefully. “...although, it was more of reminiscing on my part.”

“So you are brooding!” Azama exclaimed rather smugly, smile still present on his face as he spoke. “...But these stories of yours, are these stories unspeakable because they have a point? That must make them very important.”

Odin chose to take that as a serious statement, rather than the sarcasm he was almost certain that it was. 

“Indeed, they are important! They must never be forgotten, even if there are only three of us to remember them in this realm! That will have to be enough, until the day arrives in which I can once again share these tales with others!”

Azama’s smile fell, if only a little. Before Odin could even blink, his smile had lifted; if he hadn’t been looking, the mage was sure he wouldn’t have even noticed.

“Stories you can’t tell. People who can never hear them. It’s no wonder you chose night time to think it over,” Azama said, though his tone had gone from dripping with sarcasm to something he couldn’t quite recognize. Odin wasn’t sure what to think of it.

“Alas, ‘tis a shame that the only living beings that I may repeat these stories to are the trees and gods above, but that shall have to do for now! I can hardly wait for the day in which I can tell the heroic tales of honor and sacrifice I li-” Odin coughed, if only to cover up the fact he almost said something he shouldn’t have. “-learned throughout the years of my life!”

Silence. Then, Azama spoke.

“Do you suppose that the gods and trees listen to you?”

Odin was taken aback for a moment but ended up chuckling quietly.

“...if I’m honest, probably not,” he said quietly, almost unnaturally so. “But it’s nice to think that someone is listening.”

“Even if you know that sentiment is completely wrong?” Azama cut in, the grin fading for a moment in favor of a more neutral expression.

Odin simply blinked in surprise.

“After all, nothing is listening at this hour. Even the trees and the gods sleep, and you aren’t being heard.” Azama paused to look straight at Odin, with a surprisingly serious expression for someone with their eyes eternally shut. “What makes you believe that you’ll live to see the day you can tell someone who will listen?”

“...well, hopefully, there will be others.” Odin began, a thoughtful, yet somewhat sad expression appearing on his face. “Others who know the tales that I cannot share, and will do so for me as I wait in the next realm. Alas, I know this is something I should not hope for.”

A sigh. The smug grin that had been on Azama’s face thus far had yet to return, to Odin’s immense surprise.

“Do you really, truly believe that will be your legacy?” Azama asked. “Or do you think you’ll be forgotten?”

“Why do you think I spread my name as far as I can?” Odin quickly said, a suddenly solemn tone making its appearance in his voice. “I know there shall come a day when the tales of Odin Dark have long since been forgotten, though I hope for that day to come later rather than sooner.”

“That must be why you speak so loudly at this hour then.”

“I suppose that would be part of it. Although, in a way, it’s my way of making sure I truly do exist, here and now, in this realm. That I shan’t fade away or disappear without warning.” Odin couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up from his throat. “I must admit, it does sound rather odd saying so out loud.”

Azama merely nodded. “How strange. So you admit you speak just to make sure you are alive. Just to make sure you are rooted somewhere in reality.”

“It is a rather odd reason. I must admit that it is the truth, however.” 

And the truth it was indeed. Although it was a topic he rarely discussed with his companions, he knew that their thoughts were sometimes consumed by the idea. The idea that they could suddenly fade from the world without warning, that fear only growing more and more the closer they came to the castle where Anankos was said to lay. Not the kind man who had called him and his companions to this world in the first place, but the draconic side of him. The side of him that had gone mad, driven insane by rage and sorrow, sorrow for being forgotten from the world. 

“It’s not unlike pinching yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming.” Azama hummed, presumably in agreement. “But...there is truth in it, I think. The cold of this night, the pain in my heels from wandering so far, even the loudness of your voice; it reminds us that we are living.”

“Indeed it does, priest of the gods. I suppose others would have their own ways of staying grounded in reality; this just happens to be mine. I have been told on more than one occasion that I should try being more serious, however.” Odin laughed at the memory. How long ago it felt since he had first come under Lord Leo’s service, when his lord had first uttered those words to him. “It’s rather difficult when you have been doing it for the majority of your life, however.” 

“It’s difficult to change people who are stuck in their ways; it’s pointless, really, to even try,” Azama noted, the smug smile finally returning to his face once more. 

“That’s quite true - for the both of us.” Odin returned the smug grin with a smile of his own. “I truly doubt anyone would be able to get you to be a little less rude to everyone; including your own liege.” 

Azama simply smiled. 

“I say things as I see them. I like to believe I’m the more honest of the two of us, even if the truth is not so pretty.”

“You’d be correct about that,” Odin said, laughing at how much more truth that statement held without the monk’s knowledge, “Although I’m certain most people wish you would try sugarcoating your words once or twice.”

“I don’t need to lie to people,” Azama said, the quiet tone returning to his face despite the smile not fading, “they do that to themselves enough.” 

Odin couldn’t help but let out a bit of a sad chuckle at that. “Some are more honest than you think, however. You adding to that honesty is not always the best thing to do; at least, not immediately.”

“I have no interest in sparing feelings.” Azama’s smile did falter, if only a little. “In the end, it doesn’t matter whether I do or not. There’s nothing I could say to them that they have not already thought, and if they are hearing it for the first time, then it’s about time they knew.”

“I can agree to that at least,” Odin said with a laugh before pausing a moment, a bit of an odd smile coming onto his face. “It’s quite funny; the both of us have our own ways of speaking to others, and I’m certain that there’s at least one person that has wished we change our manner of speech at one point or another. I suppose we are quite similar in that regard.”

Azama was quiet for a moment. Despite the smile on his face, Odin had no true way of deciphering what he was thinking. 

“In that, we’re the same, yet we couldn’t be more opposite,” he eventually said, his voice quiet and rather wondering.

“Quite odd, how fate works in such ways.” Odin looked to the sky, watching the sun slowly setting as the stars began to make their appearance in the sky. “Two could be the same in one way, yet complete opposites in another.”

“You think it’s fate, and I think it’s mere coincidence,” Azama said, facing the sky as well, though Odin was unsure if he was watching the sun setting beyond the horizon or the several stars making their appearance in the ever-growing night sky.

“It could be either - the world has its own strange ways of operating.” Odin gave a bit of a shrug. “One could have everything, yet lose it without warning. At the same time, one could have nothing, then suddenly have everything they ever dreamed of.”

“One could have everything, and remain on top for all their life,” Azama cut in. “And one could have nothing, and hope to have something, yet die with nothing all the same.”

“That is true as well. The world operates in strange ways.” Odin couldn’t help but stare at the slowly growing number of stars as if they would give him an answer. “One could argue it’s fate, or luck, or even sheer coincidence.”

Azama gave a quiet hum of agreement. “You’d think by now we’d agree on which it is, but we’re fated to always disagree...or maybe, it’s just coincidence that we haven’t found a solution yet.” 

“Indeed.” Odin was silent a moment. “...this has been quite the conversation.”

Indeed it had been. When Odin had gone on his walk, he certainly hadn’t been expecting to start such a conversation with Hoshidan monk. That wasn’t to say he wasn’t enjoying it, but he was certainly surprised.

“And you hardly noticed the sun fall and the moon rise. Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Azama pointed out, and Odin only then realized just how late it had gotten. By now, the moon had risen in her entirety, leaving the sun to rest beneath the horizon as they spoke under the moon and stars’ gentle glow.

“I suppose I should…” Odin chuckled a bit before turning to face Azama. “Although, couldn’t the same be said for you?”

Azama merely smiled, though Odin would still question how he was able to see with his eyes eternally shut like that. “I haven’t accomplished what I came out here for.” 

Odin perked up. “Oh? So you did come out for a reason, other than simply enjoying a stroll.”

Azama chuckled. “You have me there, though the reason is nothing more than a want for a few moments of silence.”

“I see…” A thought occurred to Odin at that moment, causing a questioning glance directed at the monk in front of him. “Though, if you wanted to achieve this sooner, you could have stopped talking to me at any moment you chose.”

“For once, you provided a story too interesting to overlook, as it happened in the moment,” Azama said as though it were a fact, the smug smile on his face now directed at Odin. “Even if you had told me nothing at all, it’s like you said everything.” 

“Oh, really?” Odin smiled back, though this one was more curious than anything. “Pray tell, what was it that enticed you to continue this conversation?”

“Well, for starters, how freely you spoke back.” Azama’s smile became a bit more questioning, as did his voice. “For a man who claims to have many secrets, it’s very telling.”

Odin thought for a moment. “I suppose it was because there was someone listening for once - an actual person, rather than the trees or gods above.”

The smug smile returned with a vengeance. “If you’d like someone to listen, why not just tell the truth?”

Odin almost choked, caught entirely off guard. “Well...to put it bluntly, there’s a lot that I can’t say that I wish I could. If I could, I’d have said a lot more, and be telling the stories I am unable to now.”

“So why can’t you say them?”

“That’s…” Odin struggled with his words for a moment before giving up. “...another thing I cannot say.”

“Lots of things you can’t say.” Azama’s grin grew into something almost mischievous; for a moment, he was reminded of Niles. “The more and more secrets you have, the more curious I am to figure them out, but I am afraid doing so would end in disappointment.” 

“For now, they will. Perhaps, at a much later date, I will be able to reveal these things to you.”

“Then I’ll repeat a question I have asked you before. How can you be sure you’ll live long enough to tell? Or, how can you be sure that either of us will live, for me to hear this story and for you to tell it?”

Odin was silent once more. He thought about it for a short while - indeed, how could be sure that he would live long enough to tell his story? Long enough to, maybe someday, go home? 

“...You have a point there.” Odin admitted, crossing his arms over his chest. “I suppose, until that day, we shall both have to stay alive.”

They sat in silence for a short while, before Odin spoke up once more in a much quieter voice.

“I suppose the only thing I could tell you, if nothing else, is that I once wielded a sword rather than a tome.”

“Did you prefer it?” Azama asked, sounding genuinely curious.

“Quite honestly, I preferred using my sword,” Odin admitted, prompting a laugh from Azama.

“Quite honestly, I can tell.”

“Sometimes I wonder if I should have just stayed as a swordsman,” Odin sighed, a more melancholic look passing over his face, “though it’s too late to change back now I suppose.”

“What drove you to be a mage then?” Azama chuckled. “Clearly not the outfit.”

Odin couldn’t help but laugh. He certainly hadn’t become a dark mage just because of the outfit - it was somehow more revealing than the dark mage uniforms of Plegia. 

“I suppose it was partially because my father was a wielder of tomes, as well as swords,” Odin said, not truly thinking about what he was saying at the moment.

“Careful, careful, you might say too much,” Azama pointed out with a rather playful tone to his voice.

Odin almost choked, covering it up with a laugh. “Right you are, so that is where I shall stop.”

He really did need to watch what he said. 

“What a shame.” Azama’s laugh rang in Odin’s ears. “You nearly forgot that you were speaking.”

“Well, you did remind me.” Odin grinned triumphantly, trying to forget how he had nearly slipped there. “Niles has tried the same tactic to try and get me to speak more of my past.”

“I see it hasn’t worked yet.” Despite the smile, Azama seemed almost disappointed that Odin still had a firm grip on his secrets.

“No, it has not. Though I applaud you for trying!”

The smug smile on Azama’s face once again changed, but this time into something that Odin couldn’t quite describe. Perhaps an eagerness? Or perhaps almost worry? He wasn’t sure what it was.

“Eventually you’ll say something you’ll regret.”

Odin’s grin faded as well, changing into a more tired smile as he sighed. “Well, it hasn’t happened yet, but I do try and watch out for that possibility.” A tired laugh escaped from him as he thought about what he had just said. “Although, it doesn’t work all the time.”

There was a new look on Azama’s face - one of almost concern? It was difficult to tell with the closed eyes and near-eternal smile. “You make it very obvious that you are one step away from letting that mouth of yours spill everything.”

He was right. Sometimes Odin would have to stop himself from saying something that would give away any part of his past around his liege, especially his partner in crime. Yet he was somehow so much more careless with this conversation. Perhaps it was just the thoughts already swirling in his head that was leaving him so vulnerable?

“Bottling up your thoughts usually isn’t a good thing, you do know,” Odin said quietly, choosing to face the stars rather than Azama. “And doing it for an extended period of time usually makes the feeling much worse.”

Silence.

“So what is the point in hiding if you know you cannot do it forever?” Azama eventually asked, his voice having become rather quiet as well.

“Well…” Odin stopped. “...I’m honestly not so sure myself. I just have the feeling that telling anyone too much...it wouldn’t end well for either of us.”

In truth, he really hadn’t stopped to think about what would happen if he were to tell someone everything. Anankos hadn’t been specific as to what would happen when he told him and his companions that they should keep their true identities a secret from the residents of this world. At best, it was simply to prevent them from getting too attached to this world so that they could go home without too much pain. At worst...they could fade from existence. Fade from time and space and end up dead for jumping dimensions one too many times and revealing too much information.

After all, that was what happened to those who spoke of the hidden country outside of its borders. 

“What do you suppose will happen?” Azama asked, as though he knew what Odin was thinking of. 

Odin gave a shrug of sorts. “Something having to do with death and fading out of existence if I had to give a guess,” he muttered, being so blunt it nearly surprised him.

Azama was silent for a moment, presumably thinking. “But do you know that for sure?” he eventually asked, prompting a hollow laugh from Odin.

“Do you truly think I’d like to take that risk?” he couldn’t help but say.

Azama once again went silent.

“The night grows darker by the second,” the monk eventually said, surprising Odin for a moment, “I thought you would have said something by now.”

“And here I thought you would have once the dozens of stars in the sky began to emerge,” Odin replied, a small smile making its way onto his face. 

“And here I thought the same of you,” Azama countered, the smug smile emerging to face Odin’s.

“I was always, how do you put it, more of a night owl,” Odin said with a smile and a shrug.

“...Hm.” Azama stayed silent for a long while after that, to the point where Odin questioned if the monk still had a reply. Suddenly, he spoke up. “Do you want me to leave you alone out here?”

Odin thought for a moment. “Hm... I wouldn’t mind if you left or stayed. It’s up to you - you may leave to go find your silence, or stay and talk if you wish.”

Azama grinned. “Or perhaps, if not for a minute, I can stay and find my silence all at once.”

“If that is what you wish.” Odin gave a shrug, falling uncharacteristically silent as he gazed at the stars, sitting down on the ground just so he wouldn’t be standing for so long. Just as well, Azama fell silent too. Odin couldn’t help but feel it was only for the sake of seeing how long he would be silent for, considering how talkative he normally was.

Odin turned his thoughts towards the stars above, unable to help but think of his homeland. He wondered how the world passed on without them - if any time had even passed in their absence. With the knowledge that different realms in this world passed at different times - a day in the astral realm could mean only a minute in the other world - he couldn’t help but wonder if any time at all had passed since they arrived. Had even a day passed in Ylisse since they had been gone? Or had the years already gone by in their homeland too?

Odin couldn’t help but wonder if his father had returned to Ylisse in the time they had been gone.

“...I wonder if the stars look the same back home…” Odin couldn’t stop himself from wondering aloud, though he admittedly felt confused when, instead of a response, all he heard was a rather soft exhale from the monk.

He turned to see Azama still facing the stars, though he seemed as though he were actually asleep this time. Odin couldn’t help but give an amused smile. The only one who could stay up with him in the latter parts of the night was Laslow. It was almost funny. Despite the sharp tongue and even sharper comments, Azama seemed almost softer - what an odd way to describe it, but it was the only word he could think of - when he was asleep. Odin couldn’t help but wonder if Azama had even intended to stay up so late.

He thought for a moment about whether or not he should wake the monk up. On one hand, he wouldn’t want to be disturbed from a slumber that seemed so peaceful. On the other, it would be far better to be sleeping in bed rather than sleeping underneath the stars without so much as a blanket. He decided to wake up the monk; that would seem to be the wiser decision in the long run.

“Sleeping under the stars is a wondrous thing,” he said with a gentle tap on the monk’s shoulder, “but you should probably sleep in your quarters rather than out here in the open.”

The flinch from that tap was almost remarkable. And for a fleeting moment, Odin managed to catch sight of Azama’s eyes while they were still open, and couldn’t stop his own eyes from widening in surprise and wonder. The monk’s eyes held stars in them, like the ones in the sky. One blink, two blinks, and they were hidden away from the world once more. A sigh escaped from Azama. 

“It appears I fell asleep. I didn’t expect you to keep your mouth shut for so long.”

Odin couldn’t help but continue to stare at Azama, still enraptured by the stars that his eyes held captive. “I’m not surprised that you fell asleep - though I do believe I saw quite the sight just now.”

Azama paused. “And what sight would that be?”

Odin couldn’t help but grin. “Your eyes hold the stars within them - I’d say it’s a shame you keep them hidden from view so often.”

And for the first time that night, the smug, content grin on Azama’s face shifted into a rather bitter frown. “I think you would know that feeling quite well, wouldn’t you?”

Odin couldn’t stop the laugh that erupted out of him. It wasn’t often that a frown, and such a bitter one at that, would be present on Azama’s face. Seeing it first hand, along with new knowledge of the stars Azama’s eyes held, definitely made his night. 

“Indeed! I shall forever remember the sight though, as I imagine ti will be the last time I see it.”

Azama’s frown only swapped from being full of bitterness to be a bit more questioning. “I don’t see what is so valuable about it to you.”

“How can I describe it…?” Odin thought for a moment, a rather sad and nostalgic smile appearing on his face. “It reminds me of someone dear to me.”

Azama sighed. “I don’t understand it at all.” There was a pause there. Odin couldn’t help but feel as though Azama was rolling his eyes, despite not being able to see them. “But, if you find some meaning in it, what’s the point in hiding it for you?”

Almost begrudgingly, Azama’s eyes fluttered open once again. 

His eyes really do hold the stars in them, was the only thing Odin thought as he stared at them in wonder, the smile on his face becoming one that was much happier and light-hearted. 

“I’m actually quite curious,” Odin began saying, “does anyone else know of the stars that reside in your eyes? Or am I the first to see this wondrous sight?”

“It’s not something I show just anyone.” Azama’s frown did not deepen, but it did seem to be a bit more annoyed than before. “If someone’s caught me sleeping, they might be lucky to catch a glimpse when I wake up, but I see no reason to show them off.”

“Well, in my opinion, it would be.” Odin’s mind drifted to Lucina, the stars in the monk’s eyes reminding him of the brand present in her left eye. And, as it happened, he spoke without thinking. “My cousin actually had something similar to what resides in your eyes, only it chose to stay within her left eye.”

As it happened, this was an obvious mistake. Though the grin wasn’t completely back on Azama’s face, it was enough to remind Odin that he had just made a terrible mistake.

“Only her left? I’ve never seen anyone with eyes like these. How interesting it would be to see that.”

Odin’s eyes widened a bit with realization of what he had just said. Of course, he just had to let something slip, all because he was distracted by the stars in Azama’s eyes. Unfortunately, it was a bit too late to backpedal out of it now. He might as well go with it - besides, it wasn’t like he was talking about who he was exactly.

“Indeed, although it isn’t stars like the ones present in your eyes. It’s rather the symbol of a goddess.”

“Now that is very interesting indeed.” Despite the grin being back on Azama’s face, his voice was much quieter, and sounded genuinely intrigued. “Why do you think she was blessed?”

Odin thought for a moment. He very well couldn’t say that she had the brand due to being royalty. Azama was definitely smart enough to put two and two together - so he settled for being much more vague.

“I don’t really know myself,” Odin began saying, noting how Azama didn’t say anything about how he should know, “though being blessed by that goddess was what allowed her to wield a legendary blade.”

This time, the bitter frown ended up on Odin’s face.

“Unfortunately, her tale was not the happiest.”

A pause.

“Is that a tale you can tell?” Azama eventually asked.

Odin thought for a moment. “...I suppose, since this is mot a tale about me, but of my cousin, her father, and my father.” The bitter frown shifted to a bitter smile without him realizing it. “I, as much as I hate to admit it, only played a small role.”

“Ah, then I’d like to hear it,” Azama said, almost catching Odin by surprise.

Well...Azama was the only one here. It had been a long time since he’d been able to tell this tale to another human being. It couldn’t hurt if he told this story. Besides, there was a chance Azama might not believe him. Laslow and Selena wouldn’t know. 

And so he spoke. He spoke of where it started, with the death of her father and his uncle. How their realm had been plunged into chaos as the fell dragon rose, his voice nearly failing him at the memory of his homeland, his home time. Still he spoke, speaking of the horrors that awaited them each and every day. He spoke of the only solution they had to even have a chance of saving their world - traveling to the past with the help of the goddess that had blessed his cousin. 

He spoke of how they had been separated. How they had spent so long apart and only managed to find one another again once the fell dragon has resurrected once more in the past. And, after some hesitation, he spoke of how his father was the one given the impossible choice. Allow his uncle to strike the final blow, and force the fell dragon to sleep for a thousand years before rising once more to destroy the world. Or make the final blow himself, and kill the fell dragon for good but die alongside it.

In a much quieter voice, he spoke of how his father had chosen the latter option.

Despite how much the monk had prodded earlier, Azama had indeed listened to his tale rather intently. Perhaps a bit somberly as well. With his eyes open, Odin noted, Azama’s expressions and emotions became much clearer than they ever had with them closed. Even if the only emotions present in those eyes was pity, it was far more than he ever got with Azama’s eyes closed.

“That was...quite a story,” Azama eventually said after a moment of silence spent thinking over the story Odin had just regaled.

“It is. I…” Odin paused, his expression having become far more somber. Of course, telling the story only served to make his father’s memory all the more bittersweet in his mind. The fact that, today of all days, was the day he had sacrificed himself to defeat the fell dragon Grima. What was one more detail among the many he had already shared? 

“Well, if I am to be honest, this would be the anniversary of when my father died. That would be the true reason I am out here tonight.” When had his voice started shaking? He hadn’t meant for that to happen. “To mourn my father.”

A stunned silence filled the air. Out of the corner of his eye, Odin noticed Azama try to regain the content expression he had worn at the beginning of their conversation so as to hide the pity in his eyes; all he could do was look away. 

“Then it seems I postponed that a bit,” Azama said quietly.

“It’s alright.” Odin couldn’t help but force a smile on his face, despite the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. “Talking about it is far better than stewing in my emotions, I imagine.”

Silence for a moment.

“You have shared so much, there’s no point in keeping things in.”

The smile immediately dropped, though he still looked away from Azama as he rubbed at his eyes in an attempt to get rid of the tears in the corners of his eyes. 

“...It’s just been a very, very long time since I’ve spoken to anyone about this,” Odin eventually said, his voice rather shaky and lacking the confidence it normally held.

“And why does it suddenly come up now?” Azama asked quietly. “We’re as opposite as two can get. Is it because I listened?”

Odin was silent for a moment. “...I suppose that would be the case. Most wouldn’t listen to what I say, much less understand that I’d have told a true story.” 

“Then I suppose I have no choice but to listen a little longer.”

That got Odin to look at Azama again, this time in slight confusion and curiosity, nevermind the fact that he was on the verge of tears mere moments ago. 

“Why are you listening to me anyway?” Odin asked, confusion quite evident in his voice. “I would have assumed that you’d have left a while ago, and yet you stayed.”

“I have nothing better to do,” Azama said, yet his eyes told a different story. Odin couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

“...you spoke of how truthful you are, yet what you just said does not appear to be the truth to me.”

Azama sighed, as though giving up in trying to hide his true intentions, whatever they were. “I admit, you have been a fascinating conversation partner. You’re very loud, and incredibly obnoxious, but someone who’s my complete opposite is an interesting match.” 

Odin felt the grin spread across his face before he even spoke. “I imagine that I am one of the few that can keep up with your witty remarks then?”

Azama laughed at that statement. “If you’d believe it, I’ve been pretty sparing with you. I’ll have to dig deeper next time.”

Odin’s own laugh was rather cheerful, given how low his spirits were just a few moments ago. “So, I imagine you will be a lot more direct next time?”

“Without limitations, I could go on for hours, especially with all the information you’ve given me.” Azama gave a quiet chuckle. “If I cared, I’d have a lot of material to use against you, but I don’t care in the slightest. Maybe that’s why you trust me.”

Odin just smiled.

“Maybe it is.”

**Author's Note:**

> garbage ending is garbage because i can't end things for shit oops 
> 
> anyway sorry if it got repetitive at parts because i struggled with how to make the dialogue flow without it being just dialogue


End file.
